Often referred to as Malta’s Great Wall (resembling the Great Wall of China, but on a much smaller scale), the Victoria Lines provide a popular walking route for hikers. Now, works are underway that will lead to more accessible trail, starting from Fomm ir-Riħ to Madliena, becoming the island’s first national trail.

In 2022, a collaboration between Ambjent Malta, the Ramblers Association, and Friends of the Victoria Lines Trail led to targeted interventions aimed at opening sections of the trail and improving accessibility along the Victoria Lines route. These works include cleaning, installation of signs, and placing picnic benches for the comfort of visitors. Invasive alien species are also being removed to preserve the local ecosystem.

Weekly inspections and maintenance interventions are being carried out to ensure the trail remains free of waste and hazards.

The Victoria Lines are a series of 19th-century British fortifications, built by the British military between the 1870s and 1890s. They were designed to act as a defensive barrier, separating the more populated and strategically important south from the less developed north. The idea was to slow down or stop an enemy invading from the north of Malta (especially via Mellieħa Bay or St Paul’s Bay), giving the British army time to defend the more populated areas, especially Valletta and the Grand Harbour.

Nowadays, however, they offer a quiet respite from the busy urban areas of the island, and a beautiful perch from which one can observe both nature and a window into Malta’s military history.

Have you ever walked along the lines?